Happy Birthday Lily
by Avada Lestrange
Summary: A series of short stories from James and Lily's point of views leading up to that one night that changes their lives forever


James POV:

The way her auburn hair seems to float around the table, her head rested so perfectly in the crook of her arm as she slowly drifts away from the realm of reality, her head over her unfinished homework, her eyes shut on the world of knowledge as she drifts away. He couldn't take his eyes off her, the way her eyelashes seemed to sleep on her cheekbones, the way her ankles were so daintily crossed as if she were at a nice dinner, the way her fingers curled limply around her forgotten quill. James' own fingers twitched in a sort of longing, longing to hold hers within his own, to have his fingers curl around the warmth of her own. He thought of how he could simply get up, saunter over to her, cock his suave smirk and say 'Need some help with that Evans?' topped off with a signature wink, easy right? Oh how wrong he was, every time his body moved to get up, his mind stopped him, and every time his mind willed him to get up, his body held him down. He couldnt stop wondering, why was this so hard? She was just a girl after all! And he was James Potter, flirt extraordinaire! He curled his wanting fingers into two tight fists, mustering his courage he-was interrupted by Peter. This adventure would have to wait for another night he supposed, though for Lily's sake this was a good ceasing of events.

Lily POV:

The grass was warm and inviting, it slid through her fingers like hands of a friend, it tickled the back of her neck as she stared up to the sky full of dizzying clouds as they inched their way across the sky. Yelling could be heard, but Lily Evans was in a cloud of her own peace as the sun danced warmth across her china doll face. Though, as it always seemed to occur, moments later her bubble was popped as someone plopped down beside her in the grass. "Moooooorning Evans! You're looking particularly hot today" Came a suave voice from beside her, and of course she knew who it was at once.

"Potter, when will you finally realize you're unwanted?" She spat back in a rather casual way, given her mood.

"When thats the truth" He sad simply "So, Evans. Go out with me, yeah?" he asked for perhaps the five hundredth time.

"How bout this, I'll go out with you the moment my sister decides magic is a wonderful blessing to this world! Deal?" She countered snidely. The next moment was a blur, she felt a warmth on her cheek and then he was up and running. "POTTER! HOW DARE YOU KISS ME!" the words screamed from her mouth before she could withhold them. Her legs worked on their own accord and began chasing after him.

James' POV:

The two swerved and dodged students going the other direction, a loud laugh escaped James' lips and Lily couldn't keep a smile off her own face. The former could not see the latter behind him, as he knew if he were to look back he would be caught in an instant, so he simply mustered his might not to look and kept trudging on. He saw the other Marauders sitting lazily out under a tree, and in hopes of losing Lily he ran straight for them. At the last second he leapt over Sirius' lazy ass form and kept sprinting, only then did he dare to look back, and to his surprise Lily was mid-jump over Sirius. That was one of the things he liked about her, she never gave up, no matter what. As he ran images flooding through his mind, scenes of Lily Evans just bombarded him, slowing him down ever so slightly. That slight bit was all that Lily needed in order to catch him. It all happened in seconds, one moment James was ahead and the next she had pounced and had him pinned to the warm grass, his face smashed into it. "So Potter, you're clearly the one on top" She said in a sly triumphant sort of voice.

"Depends on when you mean, on top?" His words were followed by a wink and eyebrow wiggle, later followed by a screech from Lily as she hopped off him.

"UGH! You foul disgusting-Ugh! You can never be sweet can you? Everything is a bloody joke!" she said suddenly angry as she stalked off, leaving a very confused James to lay alone on the ground.

Lily's POV:

Anger can sometimes take over us, it possess us, but worse than anger, is a word called jealousy. One can claim the easy way out with claiming they are 'not the jealous type', but that is simply a loophole in order to prove why you aren't jealous of someone. The even odder occurrence is when one is jealous for another whom they claim to not have feelings for, at least so they say. Lily sat in one of the big arm chairs across from the fire, she had curled up there with a small-well, small according to Lily, but colossal in the mind of say, Sirius Black-book that she was nearly done with. The common room was at piece, the few people remaining simply worked quietly on their lessons or such of that nature. So, naturally, as history may have foretold, a certain cocky Quidditch captain would be the one to disturb the silence, with-Oh, surprises of all surprises, a pretty giggling girl at his side. Lily rolled her eyes and simply assured herself she didn't care, and how hard is it really to lie to yourself? Harder than she thought, that's for sure. She watched enviously (though she would never admit it) as the messy haired boy sat in the other arm chair, pulling the girl onto his lap and promptly starting to snog her-or as Lily would say, suck her face off. Lily felt her cheeks grow hot as she stood up in frustration, she slammed her book closed with a loud thunk, enough to make the two pry apart and look at her in shock, James carrying the stronger look of the two. With that, Lily made her departure, she walked stifly out of the room, and the moment she was out of sight she ran. She ran away from all the times James had asked her out, from all the no's and the secret yes', from every damn lie that he had now clearly told her, Lily ran as hot liquid streamed down her cheeks, something she could not explain even if it were spelled aloud in front of her.

James' POV:

The color fell fast from the boys face, his guest suddenly felt heavy and unwanted, his stomach churned with regret as he watched her figure retreat, the only thing keeping her in the light was the flickering of the fire, until she was gone. "Oh no no no! What have I done..." James groaned as a cold look came from the girl perched atop his lap as a smirking Sirius entered the room.

"Jamesy, Jamesy, Jamesy, now now that isnt how we treat our dear Lilyflower is it? Tisk tisk!" The boy gave a bark of laughter and wiggled his eyebrows at his best friend. "Go, I'll uh-escort your friend here out. Get the girl, Prongs." He said sincerely and nodded towards the door before bowing to the girl and offering his hand which she quickly took and stood. Without a second thought James was nearly out the door and around the corner. He ran and ran, but unlike Lily, he wasn't running away from all those things, he was running towards them. He ran to the memories he wanted to share with her, to all the words he wished to whisper in her ear, to all the things he longed to do for her just to bring her smile round. Except, in this race between boy and girl, the girl takes the lead and wins, leaving the boy running all alone for hours, never quite catching his missing love.

Lily's POV:

The sun shown in bright warming rays across the seemingly happy grounds, however a storm was brewing in one of its least suspected members. Lily Evans was standing, fuming at the boy across the grass where he sat laughing amongst his precious Marauders. With her fingers dug into her palms, and her teeth chewing rawly at the inside of her cheek, she couldn't stand it anymore. She marched across the grounds right up to that cocky faced jerk "Potter." She said coldly and motioned for him to rise to her level. James merely raised an eyebrow and stood gracefully.

"Aw Evans, miss me? You really do look good today" He said in a very degrading voice and winked at her, he simply expected a witty retort from her, but oh how wrong he was. The next moment, before even she herself could stop it, she had pushed him backwards into the lake. The black mess of hair quickly disappeared, but unlike she had expected, did not reappear.

"LILY!" Came Remus' yelling voice as he very nearly shoved her aside. "James CANT SWIM!" he cried out quickly in a jumble of mixed up words as he looked at her. Lily searched his face for even the slightest sign of a joke, but there was not even a flicker of humor in his now stony face. The next move was not even pondered, it was clearly the only thing to do, ignoring her shoes and clothes, Lily plunged beneath the water's surface.

A crowd started to form around the lake, as one always does because it seems society simply has a thirst for drama. After what seemed like centuries, the crowd holding its breath to the peak of the moment, Lily's head emerged from the surface, soon followed by a messy unconscious mess. Once dragged ashore, the boy did not awaken, nor did he stir or show signs of any life. Lily let out a groan and sat beside him, she gave a few pumps to his chest and lowered her face to his, she was suddenly aware that their lips were about to meet for the first time. Although, as great love stories go, the waiting gets their kiss and we move on, however, for Lily and James, they would not get their perfect love story quite yet. As her lips neared his, hazel eyes soon appeared from their hidden spots beneath his lids. "Hi there..." He mumbled weakly, even in the state he was in he managed a grin. Lily couldnt help but allow the laugh to escape her lips as she collapsed against him and the two simply laughed as if this were the funniest thing either of them had ever encountered. After what seemed like hours, the two parted and went their separate ways, at least for the time being.

James' POV:

The dormitory was silent, most of the boys were out and about, since after all they were Gryffindors and often disregarded the rules and of course curfew, and now it was simply James and Sirius, who both appeared, at first glance, to be asleep. James, however was no where near the realm of sleep, he had not yet drifted into that place. That's not to say, however, that his mind was, in a sense, in this particular realm. James' mind was residing, as it often did, in the world of Lily Evans, a place his mind seemed to have a summer home in. He couldnt take his mind ofd the brilliance of her bright green eyes, the way she smelled of cinnamon and vanilla, the fluttery feeling no other girl could give him. Not being able to resist any longer he stood up and walked to his trunk, pulling out a small blue box that could nearly fit in his palm, and would have too if it hadnt been snatched from his hand.

"Awww Prongsy-poo whats thiiis?" Said a smirking Sirius in a sing songy voice.

"Oh sod off, Padfoot! Give it back!" he snarled furiously, his eyes narrowing into slits. James had decided long before that the first person allowed to see what was in the box, was Lily.

Lily's POV:

The common room was silent, the only light remaining was those of the burning candles, their flames nearly ghosts as they slowly began to fade. The only one occupying the room was a small girl with auburn hair, who was curled up asleep on the couch clutching a book tight to her chest. Lily Evans had escaped to a peaceful dream about-Well, that was for her to know and keep locked up in her vault of secrets. She would have been perfectly content to sleep there till morning, but of course, as per usual, that could not be the case. Suddenly her ears were filled with bangs and thudding from upstairs, joined by fighting noises as two boys came tumbling down the stairs, both seemingly fighting over a small blue box, which looked to Lily as nothing but an ordinary box, making her wonder what it could contain. With a roll of her eyes she stepped towards the two and plucked the box from a seemingly victorious smirking Black. "Now. Both of you calm down or I will keep this." She kept her tone calm as a yawn escaped her delicate lips. However, the thing that truly peaked her curiosity was the look of absolute horror on James' face, making her reconsider. Before she had truly even made a decision she was holding the box out to James, who took it gratefully and mumbled a quick thanks, though it seemed sincere.

James' POV:

When they say looks can kill, they mean it, but what about looks can make your heart skip? Sitting there on the floor, he was mesmerized by the look her green eyes implored upon him, they were understanding and sympathetic. The little blue box now felt as if it weighed a million tons in the palm of his hand, he looked down at it then back to Lily, he nearly made a snide remark about being on one knee and holding out a small box, but for once in his life chose against it. He watched as Sirius, defeated, trudged up the stairs and to bed, and couldnt help but think how at least the git knew when to back off. He once again brought his eyes back to meet hers "Lily? Er..Can I...Look, can we talk?" He asked quietly, all hint of rugged confidence now replaced with almost jittery sincerity. He was surprised to see Lily simply nod in response as he stood up. He carefully motioned for her to follow and led the way out of the common room.

Lily's POV:

Lily had say yes, she didnt know why she had agreed, the wondering seemed to flood her very being as James led the way down the dark corridor. FInally, the two stopped at a small door which he promptly pushed open, the secret romantic destination was-wait, how could that be right? He had taken her to the prefect's bathroom? She couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed at this let down. She looked at James, her nose wrinkled in both disgust and confusion, which of course only made him chuckle.

"See, I could have brought you to some romantic place for your almost birthday, but I brought you here. Why, you may ask? Because now what I'm about to do will seem far more impressive and romantic" He stated simply and held out his hand for her, inviting her to take it. Her hand seemed to act of its own accord, it was as if her body wanted her to be with James as the two hands clasped together. Lily felt a faint blush creep onto her already rosy cheeks as he pulled her close, there middles nearly touching. She could feel his warmth radiating off of him, she could smell a faint whiff of peppermint that laced itself in his scent. Her breathing became slow and nervous as she looked up into those warm melt worthy hazel eyes.

Lily nervously fumbled with the edge of a sink, she noticed James' eyes trail down to look at it before he gave her a reassuring smile. "Lily...look, I know we've had our differences, and by now yes, I realize you hate my guts. But...I'm not going to give up hope. This is my last try, if you tell me to go away then I'll go. I really do have feelings for you, Lily.." He said gently, a new confidence behind his voice, but this confidence was pure and true. She suddenly realized he had called her Lily, not Evans, so she listened more intently, for she at least owed him that. James slowly held out the box to her which she slowly unwrapped, each movement of her fingers deliberate and careful. Her eyes widened at what she found inside, for inside this dainty little box was a small locket with a perfectly carved lily on the front and J+L so elegantly carved into the back. Her eyes shot up to find his pure genuine hazel eyes staring back, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of nervousness. "Lily may I-uh.." he asked in a sort of smooth awkwardness that only James Potter could have possibly pulled off. Lucky for him she understood what he meant and nodded a bit, too lost for words as he lifted her hair and clasped the chain around her neck.

A smile crept upon her lips and perched there "Thank you James it's-" She began to say but was cut off by a nearly mute 'shhh' from the boy across from her.

"Thats not all.." He said carefully, his hand resting gently on her arm "It's 11:59 (23:59) Lils...one more minute till your birthday...And well, I want to make it a damn unforgettable one." He said in an almost defiant tone, which she had to admit to herself wasnt exactly unattractive. James peered into her bright green eyes, his own seemed to look into her, as if all they wanted was to know more about the girl she was. A warm had slid up her arm and gently cupped her cheek, which at the moment was more rosy than she would have preferred. "5...4...3..." Lily couldnt help but wonder what would happen when he hit 1, and the clock struck midnight. "2...1.." When the one left his lips he leaned forward, slowly as if almost expecting her to jerk away and spit in his face. The seconds ticked by as he inched closer, their noses now barely brushing, and all Lily could seem to do is stand there in shock. Finally, as anticipation nearly killed them both, their lips met and they collapsed into each other, their heart beats beating as one, two people now one, this was what magic truly was, not spells shooting from wands, but the amount two people could truly care for each other. James pulled away first, which was quite the surprise to Lily as she wasnt finished yet. He gave her one final meaningful look "Go out with me, Lily?" he asked gently, his hand still cupping her face.

"Yes." Was all that was needed, it was as if she had said some secret code, for the moment it escaped her lips, his captured them again and once again, they were one being.


End file.
